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(No Model.)

G. W. BLAKESLEE.

WATCH CASE SPRING.

910.326.710. Patented Sept. 22, 1885.

N. PETERS. Pham-unwgmpher. wnsmngwn. D. c4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE XV. BLAKESLEE, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

WATCH-CASE SPRING.

SPECEF'ICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,710, dated September 22, 1885.

Application tiled March 23, 1885. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that l, GEORGE W. BLAKEsLEE, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new Improvements in Vatch-Case Springs, and I do hereby declare thefollowing, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of l this specification, and represent, iii- Figure 1, a top view of the spring, segments, and wedge as removed from the watch-case, Fig. 2, a perspective View of the spring complete; Fig. 3, a section of the case cutting through the hinge and stem, showing the wedge and spring in place, with a side View of one of the segments enlarged;` Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the case through the stem, showing a top view of the segments, spring, and wedge in place; Fig. a modification in the arrangement of the segments and catch.

This invention relates to an improvement in the springsfor that class of watch-cases conimonly called hunting-case,77 the purpose of the spring being to throw open the case to expose the dial and pointers. As usually constructed these springs are necessarily forged or shaped from solid metal, and are an expensive part of the case, and frequently break under ordinary usage, such breakage being largely due to the manipulation of the metal in the process of manufacture, the spring being necessarily constructed with sudden offsets or reduction in thickness,

The object of my invention is the construction of a spring which may be readily cut from sheet-steel and produced at a triiling cost, and it consists in the construction, as hereinafter described, and more particularly recited in the claims.

The spring proper, as seen in Fig. 2, is cut from sheet metal of a length according to the size ofthe watch. It consists of abody, a.,with a downwardly-projecting leg, Z, at each end, and midway of its length is an upwardly-projecting tongue, d. This spring may be ofequal thickness throughout, and cut from sheet metal. It is bent into segment shape, as seen in Fig., 2. This spring is set into the rim of the watch, as seen in Fig. 3, so that the tongue d will come beneath the cover at the hinge, and stand in the usual position for the working point of the casespring, the body a eX- tending to the right and left therefrom.

Into the recess in the body of the case and outside the movement two segments, A B, are arranged, one at each side. One end of each segment is constructed with a shoulder, e, to abut against the two ends of the spring. These segments are adapted to be moved circumferentially toward or from the spring. At the point opposite the spring-that is, on the stemside ofthe casethe adjacent ends of the two segments are inclined inward and toward each other, as at f. Between these inclines a wedge, h, is introduced, upon the upper edge of which is an upward hook-like extension, t', adapted to engage the edge of the cover and hold it in its closed position. The two ends ofthe wedge la are inclined, `corresponding to the ends of the two segments A B. Through the stem is the usual spindle, l, which bears directly against the wedge h. N ow, if the spindle be pressed inward, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. et, the segments will be forced to the right and left, carrying their opposite ends toward the hinge of the case and toward each other. As the spring stands supported between those two ends it follows that the spring will be compressed, and it being in segment shape, corresponding to the segments A B, such compression upon the two ends of the spring will force the tongue d against the cover near the hinge, and thereby apply the power of the spring to the case. The inward movement of the wedge h takes the catch t' from engagement with the cover, and then the action of the compressed spring upon the cover at the hinge will cause the cover to ily open. So soon as the pressure upon the spindle is removed the spring returns the segments and forces the wedge outward; then when the cover is closed it will pass over the inclined back of the catch t', forcing the wedge inward until the cover may pass into engagement with the catch t', then the wedge will be returned under the action of the spring, as before, to secure and hold the cover. By this construction, therefore, the single spring serves both to engage the cover when closed and to open it when released.

The segments A B and the wedge may be IOO made from any rigid metal, as they have no elasticity or elastic operation to perform. The spring readily holds them in the case, the only office of the segments being a circumferential movement to act between the wedge and the spring and to hold the spring in place.

Vhile I prefer to employ two movable segments, as I have described, one may be made fast or fixed in the case and the other movable, it only being essential to this part of my invention that there shall be asegment adapted to abut against one end of the spring, and which segment shall have a circumferential movement to correspondingly compress the spring.

I have represented the body of the spring as constructed with downwardly-extending legs b, and this I prefer, as it greatly reduces the width of the spring; but the spring may be of such a width that its ends will take a supporting bearing in corresponding ends of the segment.

Instead of giving to the segments a circumferential movement, one or both may be hung upon a pivot, m, as seen in Fig. 5, and so as to rock thereon under the action of the stem, the inward movement of the stein forcing the ends of the segment in connection therewith away from each other, correspondingly causing the opposite ends to approach each other and compress the spring.

Vhile I prefer to make the catch in the form of a wedge, as described, and so as to act directly upon the adjacent ends of the segments, a spring, a, may be introduced between the two ends, and so that the catch and stem will bear directly upon it, as seen in Fig. 5, and Linder' pressure the sp ring will be extended, so as to throw the ends of the segments from each other.

I claim- 1. The herein-described improvement in watch-case springs, consisting ot' the segmentshaped body a, with an upwardly-projecting tongue, d, the said projection adapted to bear upon the cover of the case near its hinge, a segment, A, arranged in the body of the case and adapted to bear against one end of said spring, the other end of the said spring provided with a corresponding resistance, the

said segment extending from one 'end of the spring toward the stem, and with a connection beween said stem and said segment, substantially as described, and whereby, under the pressure of the stem, movement is imparted to said segment to compress the said spring.

2. The herein-described improvement in watch-ease springs, consisting of a segmentshaped body, a, constructed with an upwardlyprojecting tongue, d, the said projection adapted to bear upon the cover of the case near its hinge, a segment, A, arranged in the body of the case and adapted to bear against one end of the spring, the other end ofthe spring provided with a corresponding resistance, and said segment A adapted for circumferential movement within the case, the wedge h, constructed to form the catch t'. and adapted to work against the end of the movable segment, under the influence ofthe spindle in the stem of the watch, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the spring a, constructed with the upwardly-projecting tongue d, the two segments A B, each adapted to be arranged in opposite sides of the body of the ease, and one end o1" each segment constructed and arranged to bear against corresponding ends of said spring, and the wedge 71, adapted to work between the opposite ends of said segments, under the action of the spindle, substantially as described, and whereby, through the said wedge, a circumferential movement is imparted to said segments, and the spring correspondingly compressed, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the spring consisting of the body a, constructed with a downwardly-projecting leg b at each end, and an upwardlyprojecting tongue, d, the segments A B, one end of each segment adapted to support and bear against the nose of said spring, with a wedge, h, between the opposite ends of said segments, the said wedge constructed to form the catch i, substantially as and for the purpose described.

GEORGE W. BLAKESLEE.

Vitnesses:

WILLIAM I. SrURo-ns, CIL-is. H. PINNELL. 

